DUBAI – An Al Qaeda website had identified in December the church in Alexandria, Egypt, which was bombed on New Year’s Day as being among Coptic places of worship designated as targets.
Al-Qiddissin (The Saints) church, where 21 people were killed and 79 wounded in Saturday’s bombing, was on a list posted by the Al-Qaeda-linked Shumukh al-Islam website of 50 Coptic churches across Egypt. Coptic churches in several European countries, including France, Germany and Britain, also figured on the list which was posted on December 2.
A message announcing “bomb attacks against churches during Christmas… when they will be most crowded” was posted alongside the list of would-be targets.
“Get up and give up sleep,” said the message.
“This is an important notice on bomb attacks against churches during Christmas,” it said. It urged “every Muslim who cares about the honour of his sisters to bomb these churches during Christmas celebrations, when they will be most crowded.”
